I had a sudden brain wave over the weekend, I know who would have thought it? My mission for the last two long years has been to resolve the outcome from my accident and reposition myself to hit the market again and restart life. I know that there are more hurdles on the way but remain resolute, I just have to keep knocking them down until I get the keys to my pub after all life is just a game isn’t it.

Not being directly in the market does not mean that I don’t keep a watching brief, I have tried to keep my nose out as it where but it has proven far too difficult. So I am aware of sales and movements in the one market that is critical to me but also those in other markets that provide indicators, trends and benchmarks. One constant fear has been the gem, the risk of watching the one offer that is too good to pass up slip out of the market. The licensed trade is a complicated beast burdened by more pessimists than would seem fair so it is not as simple as opportunities being sold, the real concern is opportunities being sold at viable rates. Where venues are taken off the market at untenable or naive prices I consider this to be nothing more than a change of caretaker, so far my opinion has been proven to be right. But what about that little slice of perfect, sold at a realistic price and potentially out of reach for a generation?

There was always a back up of ‘buy and board’ but this presents significant commercial hurdles and as such can only be applied to real bargains. But I have now seen another option, perhaps encouraged by some progress in my return to the market, locum management. Don’t misunderstand me, I do not consider this a viable way to operate a commercial enterprise, but to preserve an opportunity I think that it has legs. There is nothing more soul destroying than working to fund an empty pub, I remember running between meetings and calling Shorty to hear “nobody has been in boss” and still wince at the thought. But like so much in life it is a matter of perspective, I funded the Ship because I believed it could wash its own face and, bless the old girl, she proved me right.

This option has reinvigorated my view of the world and restored my passion, there is a new business plan that enables a holding period if needed. There are three venues that are on the current list and their numbers are all being revisited, not as decision makers in themselves but as gates to see whether decisions should be brought forward. Once again I find that I am astounded by the passion that the subject stirs in me, I keep waking up surrounded by piles of floor plan sketches and scribbled notes on operating costs. The new option is not preferred and it certainly doesn’t lend itself to every option but it does provide a grappling hook to snag the one that is getting away and that is more than I have had for some time.

Speaking to some friends over the weekend has reminded me of Jo’s insistence that I should always view my glass as half full and not half empty. Having studied law and generally being a pedant I like nothing more than to deconstruct an argument, its second nature to me as most of my friends will recognise with a groan. So when a friend asks ‘what is the point’ I have to answer that the actual point, the simple root that is the purpose of life is to live for the allotted duration, sure we would like to live in a better world, to provide for our families and be comfortable but they are our additions, our ‘value add’. Humans, like every other animal, come loaded with subliminal software that says ‘keep on going’ and that is the point, nothing more complex or philosophical than that. So when your feeling down, worried or just want to ‘give up’ remember that this is you not the world, you are judging your life by your rules and coming to the wrong conclusion.

The second debate that has been popular this weekend is ‘I won’t be rich’, firstly I should point out that this is from UK friends who already, no matter who they are, have a level of wealth beyond the reaches and dreams of a large proportion of the earths population. How does someone that feels that they are at the low end of the educational scale and have no opportunities think that they are clever enough to predict their entire life? People will always tell you that they won’t be rich because their lotto numbers won’t come up or they won’t marry a rich person this is such a false limitation why would you think like that? None of the people that we name when asked ‘who is wealthy’ are lotto winners, hard work, luck and timing are invariably what creates the wealth but its easier to focus on just the luck part because that is outside of our control.

I am by no means a philosopher, I don’t have any Buddhist beliefs but when I repeatedly come up against the same thoughts it does cause me some concern that if you don’t believe that the whole world is there for the taking then you are wasting your energy keeping yourself down.

Philosophy brief completed I can report in other news that Shorty remains a legend and will have a career with me as soon as I find another pub and they invent an artificial liver or somebody can assure me that putting him in a pub will not result in a manslaughter charge! I am astounded to find that Jules, who broke her wrist after visiting me in hospital, is now in a cast again for the same injury, I am starting to think that she is getting preferential treatment or perhaps its just that I am in the ‘too difficult pile’.

Congratulations go out to Helen for her mastery of Facebook she has added a location for the pub but a little more attention to detail is probably needed. I can see the pub from my window so when I pressed ‘navigate here’ I was more than a little surprised to find directions past the pub, along the seafront, down a side street and back along the high street arriving at the pie and mash shop, luckily I know a shortcut so it hasn’t kept me away.

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